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Index to this publication

* Introduction - This introductory text will serve well the purpose of

providing some background information to both the original writing of the

Tirukural some two millenia or more ago, and to this recent Tirukural

translation, which was oversighted by Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami,student of the Sri Lankan sage Yogaswami (1872 - 1964), and the founder of

the Himalayan Academy.

Part I ... On Virtue

• Prologue

* Chapter 1 - In Praise of God

* Chapter 2 - The Importance of Rain

* Chapter 3 - Greatness of Renunciates

• Chapter 4 - Asserting Virtue's Power

• Family Life - The Way of the Householder

* Chapter 5 - Family Life

* Chapter 6 - The Good Wife* Chapter 7 - The Blessing of Children

* Chapter 8 - Possessing Love

* Chapter 9 - Hospitality

* Chapter 10 - Speaking Pleasant Words

* Chapter 11 - Gratitude

* Chapter 12 - Impartiality* Chapter 13 - Possession of Self-Control

* Chapter 14 - Possession of Virtuous Conduct

* Chapter 15 - Not Coveting Another's Wife* Chapter 16 - Possession of Forbearance

* Chapter 17 - Avoidance of Envy

* Chapter 18 - Avoidance of Covetousness

* Chapter 19 - Avoidance of Backbiting

* Chapter 20 - Avoidance of Pointless Speech* Chapter 21 - Dread of Sinful Deeds

* Chapter 22 - Understanding One's Duty to Society

* Chapter 23 - Charity

* Chapter 24 - Glory

* Asceticism

* Chapter 25 - Possession of Compassion

* Chapter 26 - Abstaining from Eating Meat

* Chapter 27 - Austerity* Chapter 28 - Ascetic Pretense

* Chapter 29 - Avoidance of Fraud

* Chapter 30 - Truthfulness

* Chapter 31 - Avoidance of Anger

* Chapter 32 - Avoidance of Injuring Others

* Chapter 33 - Avoidance of Killing* Chapter 34 - Impermanence of All Things

* Chapter 35 - Renunciation

* Chapter 36 - Knowledge of Truth

* Chapter 37 - Eradication of Desire

• Destiny

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* Chapter 38 - Destiny

Part II - On Wealth

* Kingship

* Chapter 39 - The Merits of the King* Chapter 40 - Learning

* Chapter 41 - The Neglect of Learning

* Chapter 42 - Listening to the Learned

* Chapter 43 - Possession of Wisdom

* Chapter 44 - Guarding Against Faults

* Chapter 45 - Gaining Support from the Great* Chapter 46 - Avoidance of Base Company

* Chapter 47 - Deliberation Before Action

* Chapter 48 - Understanding Strength

* Chapter 49 - Understanding Timeliness

* Chapter 50 - Understanding the Right Place* Chapter 51 - Testing and Trusting Men

* Chapter 52 - Testing and Employing Men

* Chapter 53 - Fellowship of Kindred

* Chapter 54 - Avoidance of Unmindfulness

* Chapter 55 - Just Reign

* Chapter 56 - Unjust Reign* Chapter 57 - Avoidance of Tyranny

* Chapter 58 - The Kindly Look

* Chapter 59 - Espionage

* Chapter 60 - Possession of Industriousness

* Chapter 61 - Avoidance of Laziness* Chapter 62 - Perseverance

* Chapter 63 - Being Undaunted by Troubles

* Ministers & Subjects - The Essentials of the StateMinisters

* Chapter 64 - Essentials Of the State Ministers

* Chapter 65 - Eloquence

* Chapter 66 - Purity of Action* Chapter 67 - Resoluteness of Action

* Chapter 68 - Modes of Action

* Chapter 69 - Ambassadors

* Chapter 70 - Associating with Monarchs

* Chapter 71 - Discerning Unspoken Thoughts* Chapter 72 - Judging the Audience

* Chapter 73 - Not Dreading the Audience

* Chapter 74 - The Country

* Chapter 75 - Fortresses

* Chapter 76 - The Ways of Acquiring Wealth

* Chapter 77 - Merits of the Army* Chapter 78 - Military Pride

* Chapter 79 - Friendship

* Chapter 80 - Testing Fitness for Friendship

* Chapter 81 - Old Friendship

* Chapter 82 - Harmful Friendship* Chapter 83 - False Friendship

* Chapter 84 - Folly

* Chapter 85 - Ignorance

* Chapter 86 - Hatred

* Chapter 87 - Merits of Enmity

* Chapter 88 - Understanding the Nature of Enmity* Chapter 89 - Internal Enmity

* Chapter 90 - Not Offending the Great

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* Chapter 91 - Being Led by Women

* Chapter 92 - Wanton Women* Chapter 93 - The Avoidance of Drunkenness

* Chapter 94 - Gambling

* Chapter 95 - Medicine

* The People

* Chapter 96 - Nobility

* Chapter 97 - Honor

* Chapter 98 - Greatness

* Chapter 99 - Perfect Goodness

* Chapter 100 - Possession of Courtesy* Chapter 101 - Wealth That Benefits None

* Chapter 102 - Possession of Modesty

* Chapter 103 - Advancing the Family

* Chapter 104 - Farming

* Chapter 105 - Poverty* Chapter 106 - Begging

* Chapter 107 - Dread of Begging

* Chapter 108 - Baseness

Part III - On Love

* Kama or Pleasure (Love)

* Chapters 109 to 133 - At present un-translated by the Himalayan

Academy.

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Introduction to the Holy Kural

The following represents an inspired talk by Gurudeva, H.H. Sivaya

Subramuniyaswami, on Saint Tiruvalluvar's Guru Puja Day, February 15,

1979, introducing selections from the Holy Kural, the Saint's 2,100 year-oldTamil classic on virtuous living:

Scripture of Saivite Hinduism

Many years ago when I was in Sri Lanka -- that was in 1949 -- I made a vowto bring together the best of the East and the best of the West. I was first

introduced to the Holy Kural in those early days. To me it is one of the most

important scriptures of the East. It is very practical. It contains wonderful

insights of life and really teaches us how to deal With the various feelings and

circumstances that come to us in our interactions with others. In this sense

the Kural is the most relevant sacred text I know, applying to everydaymatters and common concerns.

Although it has been translated into English by many scholars, the Holy Kural

has never been widely known in the Western world. There is a similar work,

written in modern times by the mystic Kahil Gibran, called the Prophet whichhas been widely distributed. Everyone knows and loves this great work. The

Holy Kural parallels the Prophet in many ways. Both books speak in profound

yet useful terms of love and friendship, of health and death, of joy and sorrow.

It is my hope that the Holy Kural will soon find its place beside the Prophet

and be known by the world for the gem that it is.

The Holy Kural was written by a weaver who lived with his wife, Vasuki, in

what is today a part of Madras in South India in the st century before the birthof Christ. Details of his life are meager. It is known that his wife was the

perfect example of devotion and obedience to her husband, and several

stories are told depicting the harmony in their mar- riage. This was

Tiruvalluvar's only work, and though it is relatively short, it was sufficient to

bring renown to a humble weaver, making him a venerated sage and lawgiverof the Tamil Dravidian people.

In the Tamil language "Tiru" means "holy" or "sacred," and "Kural" means

anything that is brief or short. In this case it describes the very difficult and

disciplined venpa meter in which the verses were written. Each verse is

extremely short, containing only two lines of fourteen syllables. In fact, it is theshortest form of stanza in the Tamil language. In many ways these couplets

are similar to the Sanskrit sloka. The entire scripture consists of 133 chapters

with each chapter elucidat' a different aspect of human virtue or human fault.

There are ten kural couplets per chapter, making a total of 1,330 couplets in

the entire scripture. In his work Tiruvalluvar chose a topic - such as children,friendship or avoidance of anger - and gave us ten different couplets on the

one subject. To properly understand his perspective on a subject, each of the

ten couplets must be read, for they are like facets of a gem - all reflecting the

light of his understanding slightly differently and adding to the richness of his

comprehension. It has been explained to me that the saint spent the fullness

of his life quietly observing, simply observing the human condition. Then,toward the end of his life, he was asked to speak out and share the wisdom

others in the community knew he possessed. The Holy Kural is his response.

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This edition of the Holy Kural has been several years in the preparation. While

in Sri Lanka in 1975 1 asked one of the Sannyasin to bring into AmericanEnglish the essential meaning of the verses. There had never been a

translation in modern American English. He studied the various translations.

Later he returned to the monastery here in Hawaii and with another

Sannyasin worked in the hours before dawn for many months. There were

five objectives in their work - to be faithful to the original Tamil in meaning andstyle, to be clear and understandable, to be brief whenever possible so as to

capture the saint's succinct style, to be subtle and profound, and finally to

have the verses as graceful and refined in English as they are in Tamil. This

was not an easy task, as you can imagine. It was further complicated by the

fact that the text was written twenty centuries ago in a classical form of Tamil

that is difficult to understand today. It is like trying to read the Old Englishworks of Chaucer. They had to react on exactly what the saint meant, for

often his verses are obscure and subtle. They had to catch the same

meaning, the same insight, to discover the same area of consciousness which

the saint held as he wrote. And then they had to speak out that perception in

the vernacular of our day. Realizing that much meaning would be lost if theattempt was made to use rhyming verse in the translation, I asked the

Sannyasins to not attempt that, but to work in prose instead.

As you will see, this abridged edition contains four of the ten verses for the

first thirty-eight chapters. We have completed the abridged translations

through chapter 108, but the limitations of the Inspired Talks do not allow allthe chapters to be included here. The verses here are, to me, the most

meaningful and pertinent ones to serve as an introduction to this ancient

scripture in the West. They represent the essence of the saint's insights on

the topics of the first chapters. We hope that this small selection will find its

way into your heart and encourage further study of the Holy Kural in its fullerform.

The total scripture is divided into four sections: the Preface, Virtue, Wealth

and Love. In not speaking of the fourth and final objective of human existence,moksha or spiritual liberation, Saint Tiruvalluvar was able to reach out with his

message of goodness and touch the lives of many generations. Certainly he

knew that in speaking of virtue and love he was leading the soul to the

liberation which he perhaps held too sacred, or too advanced, to openly

discuss. That is why it was awesome to be on San Marga today and to seethe two larger-than-life black granite statues made for us in South India sitting

together - the one who spoke on virtue wealth and love and the other who

spoke so potently on liberation in his great work, The Tirumantiram. The

whole of the way of Saivite Hinduism is contained in the world of these two

eminent saints.

The Holy Kural should be used in everyday life - its verses commited to

memory and meditated upon, quoted freely as your very own. You will sound

wise if you do remember and share these jewels. One of the greatest benefits

of this scripture is to guide our actions and our thoughts, to direct our purpose

in life and refine our interactions with our fellow man. Problems can beresolved in the light of the saint's wisdom. If something is going along wrong

in your life, bring the forces of life back into harmony by studying the Holy

Kural and applying its knowledge. That is perhaps its main function - to

perfect and protect our lives in the everyday world by preventing mistakes

which can cause an unhappy karma, by preventing erroneous attitudes which

can bring unnecessary sorrow into our experience. Yet, there is nothing in theKural that has to be obeyed. Each of the couplets contains such insight,

however, that we are drawn to it and want to obey.

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Use the verses in this scripture to provide guidelines for effective and virtuous

action in your life. It can be our refuge in times of confusion, a source ofinspiration when we feel less than inspired, a central hub around which the

endless play of Lord Siva's maya revolves. Of course, it can be studied so as

to comprehend the nature of virtue and the difficulties caused by

transgressing virtue's natural laws. It does not contain a single concept or

expression that would offend another faith, and thus it is a fine introduction tothe scriptures of the East. The Holy Kural may well be the meeting ground,

the common ground, of all religions. It could be called a Common Creed for

the modern world. But above all it is to be used by the individual to bring the

wisdom of the ages, the wisdom of Saivite Hinduism, into our lives. I hope you

will all allow Saint Tiruvalluvar's insights to speak your own intuition and

reveal from within yourself the laws which he too discovered within himself.Do not look upon this scripture as something "out there." Meditation and

reflection will reveal that its knowledge lies within, vibrantly alive, dynamically

real. It is impossible to not be moved by the grand compassion and the direct

discernment of the Kural. Let it enrich your life as you journey along this

Eternal Path, the Sanatana Dharma. I would suggest that you commit tomemory as many stanzas as you can. Many have done this, keeping them on

the tip of their tongue and in the forefront of their mind. Impress them on the

subconscious mind and thereby make a gridwork for living that takes you

swiftly to the goal and brings joy in the process, for Hinduism is a joyous

religion. I would also suggest that you teach these gems to the children.

This advice and admonition, coming from the world's most ancient faith and

culture, will enrich every child's understanding of goodness, right conduct andright thought. It is one of the most astute scriptures in the world today. It

should be memorized, especially by small children. It will create a positive

conscience for their inner decisions, guiding how they will conduct themselves

through life. Small children all through South India memorize the Holy Kural in

order to be able to chant it verse after verse - many can recite the entire 1,330verses by heart. This gives them a code of living that remains with them the

rest of their lives. It is crucial that children be given the benefit of strong

principles from an early age, especially in these times when television and the

stories, plots and scenes that children see on television which form the code

of living for their lives provide opposite and obscure values. The Holy Kural is

therefore most important. It is essential that the values which are thesubstance of the Holy Kural - the do's as well as the don'ts - be carried over

into the next generation with courage and persistence and fortitude so that our

descendants, the heirs of a future which we are even now in the process of

creating, are benefited by these age-old insights into universal laws,

humanitarian laws and plain common sense.

This is the responsibility of all parents and those who teach our children. They

may use this translation freely, drawing upon its storehouse of virtuous living.

Quote from these verses freely. Use them as your very own.

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In Saivite Hinduism we believe that the soul, man's soul created by Siva, is

returning to the Source which it already is, and this maturation is effected anddirected by karma, through experience, through a succession of lives that

provide experience from which inner knowledge is attained. This passage

through one life and then another brings the soul ever closer to its true,

effulgent being. Saivites believe that the soul can and does ultimately merge

with Siva, with God, Absolute Reality. It becomes one with God, united in anultimate experience, or non-experience, called Self-realization, which in turn

leads to moksha or liberation from the necessity for further incarnation. This is

the final goal, and the Holy Kural provides a foundation upon which the quest

for that goal may proceed with confidence and stability.

Gurudeva,H.H. Sivaya Subramuniyaswami,

on Saint Tiruvalluvar's Guru Puja Day,

February 15, 1979

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In Praise of God

Verse 1

"A" is the first and source of all the letters. Even so is

God Primordial the first and source of all the world.

Verse 2

What has learning profited a man, if it has not led himTo worship the Good Feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?

Verse 3

The Supreme dwells within the lotus of the heart. Those who reach

His Splendid Feet dwell endearingly within unearthly realms.

Verse 4

Draw near the Feet of Him who is free of desire and aversion.

And live forever free of suffering.

Verse 5

Good and bad, delusion's dual deeds, do not cannot cling

Those who delight in praising the immutable, worshipful One.

Verse 6

A long and joyous life rewards those who remain firmly

On the faultless path of Him who controls the five senses.

Verse 7

They alone dispel the mind's distress

Who take refuge at the Feet of the Incomparable One.

Verse 8

They alone can cross life's other oceans who take refuge

At the Feet of the Gracious One, Himself an ocean of virtue.

Verse 9

The head which cannot bow before the Feet of the Possessor

Of eight infinite powers is like the senses lacking the power to perceive.

Verse 10

The boundless ocean of births can be crossed,

But not without intimate union with Infinity's Holy Feet.

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The Importance of Rain

Verse 11

It is the unfailing fall of rain that sustains the world.

Therefore, look upon rain as the nectar of life.

Verse 12

Rain produces man's wholesome food;And rain itself forms part of his food besides.

Verse 13

Though oceanic waters surround it, the world will be deluged

By hunger's hardships if the billowing clouds betray us.

Verse 14

When clouds withhold their watery wealth,

Farmers cease to pull their ploughs.

Verse 15

It is rain that ruins, and it is rain again

That raises up those it has ruined.

Verse 16

Unless raindrops fall from the sky,

Not a blade of green grass will rise from the earth.

Verse 17

The very nature of oceans, though vast, would diminish,

If clouds ceased to take up water and give back rain's gifts.

Verse 18

Should the heavens dry up, worship here of the heavenly ones

In festivals and daily rites would wither.

Verse 19

Unless the heavens grant their gifts, neither the giver's generosity

Nor the ascetic's aloofness will grace this wide world.

Verse 20

No life on earth can exist without water,

And the ceaseless flow of that water cannot exist without rain.

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Greatness of Renunciates

Verse 21

The scriptures exalt above every other good

The greatness of virtuous renunciates.Verse 22

Attempting to speak of the renunciate's magnitude

Is akin to measuring the human multitudes who have ever died.Verse 23

Behold those who have weighed the dual nature of things and followed

The renunciate's way. Their greatness illumines the world.

Verse 24

He whose firm will, wisdom's goading hook, controls his five senses

Is a seed that will flourish in the fields of heaven.

Verse 25

Such is the power of those who subdue the five senses that even Indra,

Sovereign of spacious heaven's celestials, suffered their curse.

Verse 26

The magnificent ones are they who can dispatch the mostDifficult tasks; the insignificant ones are they who cannot.

Verse 27

Touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing -

He who controls these five magically controls the world.

Verse 28

Their own secret sayings reveal to the worldThe greatness of men whose words prove prophetic.

Verse 29

It is impossible to endure even a moment's wrath of those

Who have scaled and stand upon the mountain called virtue.

Verse 30

Renunciates are called the priestly ones

For they are clothed in robes of compassion for all life.

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Asserting Virtue's Power

Verse 31

Virtue yields heaven's honor and earth's wealth.

What is there then that is more fruitful for a man?Verse 32

There is nothing more rewarding than virtue,

Nor anything more ruinous than its neglect.

Verse 33

Be unremitting in the doing of good deeds.

Do them with all your might and by every possible means.

Verse 34

Keep the mind free of impurity. That alone is the practice of virtue.

All else is nothing but empty display.

Verse 35

Virtue is living in such a way that one does not fall into these four -Envy, anger, greed and unsavory speech.

Verse 36

Don't tell yourself tomorrow you'll be wise enough to practice virtue.

Do it now, for it will be your deathless companion when you die.

Verse 37

It is decidedly unnecessary to inquire about virtue's benefits,

So evident in the difference between the palanquin's rider and bearer.Verse 38

Allowing not a day to pass without doing some goodIs a boulder that will block your passage on the path to rebirth.

Verse 39

Only virtuous deeds abound in true joy.

All other deeds are empty and devoid of distinction.

Verse 40

Virtue is merely that which should be done,

And vice is merely that which men avoid in life.

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Family Life

Verse 41

He alone may be called a householder who supports

Students, elders and renunciates pursuing well their good paths.

Verse 42

The virtuous householder supports the needsOf renunciates, ancestors and the poor.

Verse 43

The foremost duty of family life is to duly serve these five:

God, guests, kindred, ancestors and one's self.

Verse 44

Gathering wealth without misdeeds and sharing meals without

miserliness, The householder's posterity will never perish.

Verse 45

When family life possesses love and virtue,

That is both its essence and fruition.

Verse 46

If a man masters the duties of married life,

What further merits could monkhood offer him?

Verse 47

Among those who strive for liberation, the foremost are they

Who live the blessed state of family life as it should be lived.

Verse 48

The householder dedicated to duty and to aiding

Ascetics on their path of penance endures more than they do.

Verse 49

Domestic life is rightly called virtue. The monastic path,

Rightly lived beyond blame, is likewise good.

Verse 50

He who pursues the householder's life well here on earthWill be placed among the Gods there in heaven.

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The Good Wife

Verse 51

She is the helpful wife who possesses the fullness of

Household culture and spends within her husband's means.

Verse 52

The fullest family life remains emptyIf the wife lacks the lofty culture of the home.

Verse 53

What does a man lack if his wife is worthy?

And what does he possess if she is lacking worth?

Verse 54

What is more majestic than a women

Who preserves the prodigious strength of chastity?

Verse 55

Even the rains will fall at her command

Who upon rising worships not God, but her husband.

Verse 56

A woman is one who vigilantly guards herself,

Cares for her husband and protects their unblemished reputation.

Verse 57

Why do guardians protect women by confinement?

Her own resolute chastity is a women's paramount protection.

Verse 58

A women deeply devoted to the man who wed her

Will be worthy of great rewards in the world where Gods delight

Verse 59

Unless the wife pursues praiseworthy purity,

The husband cannot prance like a proud lion before his critics.

Verse 60

A worthy wife is the blessing of a home,And good children are its precious ornament.

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The Blessing of Children

Verse 61

Of all a man's blessings we know of none greater than

The begetting of children endowed with intelligence.

Verse 62

Those who bear children of blameless characterWill themselves be born seven times, untouched by evil.

Verse 63

It is said that children are a man's real wealth,

And that this wealth is determined by his deeds.

Verse 64

Far sweeter than divine nectar is simple boiled rice

Stirred by the small hands of one's own child.

Verse 65

Being touched by one's children is a delight to the body,

And listening to them chatter is a joy to the ear.

Verse 66

"Sweet are the sounds of the flute and the lute," say those

Who have not heard the prattle of their own children.

Verse 67

A father can best benefit his son by preparing himTo sit in the vanguard of erudite councils.

Verse 68

What pleasure it is to human beings everywhere

When their children possess knowledge surpassing their own!

Verse 69

When a mother hears her son heralded a good and learned man,

Her joy exceeds that of his joyous birth.

Verse 70

The son's duty to his father is to make the world ask,

"By what great austerities did he merit such a son?"

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Possessing Love

Verse 71

Can any lock keep love confined within,

When the loving heart's tiny tears escape and confess it?

Verse 72

The unloving belong only to themselves,But the loving belong to others to their very bones.

Verse 73

They say it is to know union with love

That the soul takes union with the body.Verse 74

Love makes a man affectionate toward all,

And affection affords the priceless treasure of friendship.

Verse 75

They say love's greatness is this: it yields to good familiesWorldly happiness here and heavenly bliss there.

Verse 76

The uninformed say love stands by virtuous souls,

Unaware that love is also friend to all immersed in vice.

Verse 77

As the blazing sun dries up a boneless worm,

So does virtue scorch a loveless being.

Verse 78

Without love in the heart,

Life is like a sapless tree in a barren desert.

Verse 79

What good is a body perfect in outer ways,

If inwardly it is impaired by lack of love?

Verse 80

With love enshrined in the heart, one lives.

Without it, the body is but bone encased in skin.

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HospitalityVerse 81

The whole purpose of maintaining a home

And earning wealth is to provide hospitality to guests.

Verse 82

To hoard one's meal when a guest is in the home is improper,

Even if it happens to be the nectar of immortality.Verse 83

The life of the man who daily cares for those who

Come to him will never suffer poverty's painful ruin.Verse 84

Wealth's goddess dwells in the hospitable homeOf those who host guests with a smiling face.

Verse 85

If a man eats only after attending to guests' needs,

What further sowing will his fertile fields require?

Verse 86

The host who, caring for guests, watches hopefully for more,Will himself be a welcomed guest of those whose home is heaven.

Verse 87

Charity's merit cannot be measured by gifts given.

It is measured by measuring the receiver's merits.

Verse 88

Those who never sacrifice to care for guests will later lament,

"We hoarded wealth, estranged ourselves, now none will care for us."

Verse 89

The poorest penury is having plenty yet shunning guests.

Such senselessness is only found in senseless fools.

Verse 90

The delicate anicham flower withers when merely smelled,

But an unwelcome look is enough to wither the heart of a guest

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Speaking Pleasant Words

Verse 91

Pleasant words fall from the lips of virtuous men,

Full of tenderness and free from deceit.Verse 92

Better than a gift given with a joyous heart

Are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.

Verse 93

A kindly countenance and sweet words

Spoken from the heart are virtue's way.

Verse 94

Poverty-provoking sorrow will not pursue

Those who speak joy-producing words to all they meet.

Verse 95

Humility and pleasant words are the jewelsThat adorn a man; there are none other.

Verse 96

If a man seeks good works while speaking sweet words,

His virtues will wax and his vices wane.

Verse 97

Words yield spiritual rewards and moral excellence

When they do not wander far from usefulness and agreeableness.

Verse 98

Sweet speech which is stranger to pettiness

Imparts pleasure not only in this life, but in the next.

Verse 99

Why would anyone speak cruel words,

Having observed the happiness that kind words confer?

Verse 100

To utter harsh words when sweet ones would serve

Is like eating unripe fruits when ripe ones are at hand.

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Gratitude

Verse 101

Heaven and earth are scant repayment

For help rendered where none was received.

Verse 102

A kindness done in the hour of need may itself be small,But in worth it exceeds the whole world.

Verse 103

When help is rendered by weighing the receiver's need

And not the donor's reward, its goodness grows greater than the sea.

Verse 104

While aid may outwardly seem as puny as a mustard seed,

The knowing will deem it as imposing as a towering palm.

Verse 105

Help rendered another cannot be measured by the extentOf assistance imparted. Its real measure is the recipient's worthiness.

Verse 106

Never forget fellowship with unsullied souls,

Nor forsake friendship with those who aided in adversity.

Verse 107

For seven lives in seven bodies the grateful will remember

Friends who nullified their anguish and affliction.

Verse 108

It is improper to ever forget a kindness,

But good to forget at once an injury received.

Verse 109

The deadliest injury is effaced the moment

The mind recalls a single kindness received from the injurer.

Verse 110

Having massacred every breed of goodness, one may yet escape,

But there is no escape for those who let gratitude die.

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ImpartialityVerse 111

Justice may be called good when it acts impartially

Toward enemies, strangers and friends.

Verse 112

The wealth of those who possess justice will not perish;

Rather it will be posterity's soothing security.

Verse 113

However prosperous it may seem, all wealth gained

By loss of rightness must be relinquished that very day.

Verse 114

In their offspring one may doubtlessly discern

Who are the just and who the unjust.

Verse 115

Adversity and prosperity never cease to exist. The adornmentOf great men's minds is to remain unswervingly just under both.

Verse 116

When his heart forsakes fairness and his deeds turn depraved,

A man realizes deep within himself, "I am ruined."

Verse 117

Though a man is profoundly impoverished,

If he remains just, the world will not regard him as poor.

Verse 118

To incline to neither side like a balance scale's level beam

And thus weigh impartially is the wise one's ornament.

Verse 119

Speech uttered without bias is integrity,

Provided no unspoken bias hides in the heart.

Verse 120

Those businessmen will prosper whose business

Protects as their own the interests of others.

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Possession of Self-Control

Verse 121

Self-control will place a man among the Gods,

While lack of it will lead him into deepest darkness.

Verse 122

Guard your self-control as a precious treasure,For there is no greater wealth in life than this.

Verse 123

Comprehending and acquiring self-control

Confers upon one the esteem of wise men.

Verse 124

More imposing than a mountain is the greatness of a man who,

Steadfast in domestic life, has attained self-control.

Verse 125

Humility is a precious quality in all people,

But it has a rare richness in the rich.

Verse 126

Like a tortoise withdrawing five limbs into its shell, those who

Restrain the five senses in one life, will find safe shelter for seven.

Verse 127

Whatever you may fail to guard, guard well your tongue,

For flawed speech unfailingly invokes anguish and affliction.

Verse 128

By a single word of injury

Do all a man's virtues lose their goodness.

Verse 129

The wound caused by fire heals in its time;

The burn inflicted by an inflamed tongue never heals.

Verse 130

Virtue will wait in the streets to meet a manPossessed of learning and self-disciplined, his anger subdued.

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Possession of Virtuous Conduct

Verse 131

Virtuous conduct leads a man to eminent greatness,

Therefore, it should be guarded as more precious than life itself.

Verse 132

In your striving, be mindful to preserve good conduct.In your deliberations, discover it is your staunchest ally.

Verse 133

Morality is the birthright of high families,

While immoral conduct's legacy is lowly birth.

Verse 134

If a brahmin forgets the Vedas, he can relearn them.

But if he falls from virtue, his high birth is forever effaced.

Verse 135

Prosperity is not for the envious,

Nor is greatness for men of impure conduct.

Verse 136

The firm-minded never slacken in upholding virtuous conduct,

For they know the miseries brought on by such neglect.

Verse 137

By honest conduct one achieves honorable eminence,

While corrupt conduct brings one nothing but blame.

Verse 138

Good conduct is the seed in virtue's field;

Wicked conduct's harvest is never-ending sorrow.

Verse 139

Men who conduct themselves virtuously

Are incapable of voicing harmful words, even forgetfully.

Verse 140

Those who cannot live in harmony with the world,Though they have learned many things, are still ignorant.

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Not Coveting Another's Wife

Verse 141

Those who know virtue's laws and property's rights

Never indulge in the folly of desiring another man's wife.

Verse 142

Among those who stand outside virtue, there is no greater foolThan he who stands with a lustful heart outside another's gate.

Verse 143

No different from the dead are those who

Wickedly desire the wife of a friend.

Verse 144

Though a man's measure is mountainous, what good is it

If, without the minutest concern, he takes another's wife?

Verse 145

A man who seduces another man's wife, knowing she is easy,

Suffers a shame which neither dies nor diminishes.

Verse 146

Hatred, sin, fear and disgrace-these four

Never forsake the man who commits adultery.

Verse 147

He is decreed a worthy householder

Who holds no desire for the womanliness of another's wife.

Verse 148

The chivalry that does not look upon another's wife

Is not mere virtue - it is saintly conduct.

Verse 149

In a world imperiled by the fearsome sea, to whom do good things belong?

To men never impassioned to caress a married women.

Verse 150

Though a man deserts virtue and indulges in vice,

He keeps some decency by not wanting another's wife's womanliness.

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Possession of Forbearance

Verse 151

Just as the Earth bears those who dig into her,

It is best to bear with those who despise us.

Verse 152

It is always good to endure injuries done to you,

But to forget them is even better.

Verse 153

It is impoverished poverty to be inhospitable to guests.

It is stalwart strength to be patient with fools.

Verse 154

Desiring that his greatness should never cease,

Let a man's conduct foster forbearance.

Verse 155

Worthless are those who injure others vengefully,

While those who stoically endure are like stored gold.

Verse 156

The gratification of the vengeful lasts only for a day,

But the glory of the forbearing lasts until the end of time.

Verse 157

Though unjustly aggrieved, it is best to suffer the suffering

And refrain from unrighteous retaliation.

Verse 158

Let a man conquer by forbearance

Those who in their arrogance have wronged him.

Verse 159

Those who patiently endure the rude remarks of the insolent

Possess the ascetic's rare purity.

Verse 160

Great are those who suffer fasting's hardships;Yet they are surpassed by those who suffer hard words spoken.

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Avoidance of Envy

Verse 161

The unenvious heart is to be valued

No less than virtuous conduct itself.

Verse 162

Among the profuse precious things a man may acquire,None surpasses a nature free from envy toward all.

Verse 163

He who is jealous instead of joyous of another's wealth

Does not desire, they say, wealth and virtue of his own.

Verse 164

Envy will never cause one to commit wrongful deeds

Who rightly fathoms the disgrace which follows.

Verse 165

A man's own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin,

Even though he has no other enemies.

Verse 166

He who begrudges another's bounty

Will behold the death of his naked and starving kindred.

Verse 167

Fortune's Goddess, intolerant of men who cannot tolerate other's success,

Introduces them to her sister Misfortune and goes away.

Verse 168

The wicked one called envy consumes this world's wealth

Then consigns men to those worlds of hellish fire.

Verse 169

It is worth pondering that good men may be poor

While the envious in heart prosper.

Verse 170

There are no envious men who have risen to prosperity.There are no men free from envy who have fallen from it.

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Avoidance of Covetousness

Verse 171

In the very attempt to wrongly gain another's wealth,

A man loses his family's future and his own faultlessness.

Verse 172

Those who deem injustice shameful never commitGuilt-yielding deeds driven by money-yielding desires.

Verse 173

Those who seek immortal bliss will not succumb

To immoral deeds which follow desire for fleeting delights.

Verse 174

With senses conquered and sight unclouded by depravity,

One will not covet others' wealth, even in destitution.

Verse 175

What avails a man's subtle and comprehensive learning,

If, in a covetous delirium, he still exploits others?

Verse 176

Desiring grace and doing his duty, a man who desires wealth

And contrives to acquire it wrongly is destroyed nevertheless.

Verse 177

Do not seek the fortune that greed gathers,

For its fruit is bitter in the day of enjoyment.

Verse 178

To protect his own prosperity from decline

One must not crave the property held by others.

Verse 179

Just as wise men know the goodness of non-coveting,

So Fortune herself knows their goodness and draws near.

Verse 180

There is a desire for another's possessions which is thoughtlessly destructive.

There is a pride which, refusing to covet, is mindfully triumphant.

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Avoidance of Backbiting

Verse 181

Silent about virtue and swift to act wrongly,

A man who does not slander others may still be called good.

Verse 182

More vile than violating virtue and committing crimeIs slanderously sabotaging a man, then smiling to his face.

Verse 183

Virtue declares that dying, not living, will bring better rewards

To defamers who dissemble and deceive.

Verse 184

Though you speak unkind words to a man's face,

Do not speak words behind his back heedless of consequent harm.

Verse 185

Though every word is full of kindly virtue,

A man's mean back-biting will betray his empty heart.

Verse 186

If a man spreads tales of others' faults,

His own worst faults will be exposed and spread.

Verse 187

Not knowing the companionable art of cheerful conversation,

Men estrange even friends by their divisive discourse.

Verse 188

If men are disposed to spread the faults of friends,

What deadly harm might they do to strangers?

Verse 189

Only because she weighs duty well does Earth bear the weight

Of those who wait for a man's departure to defame him.

Verse 190

If men perceived their own faults as they do the faults of others,

Could misfortune ever come to them?

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Avoidance of Pointless Speech

Verse 191

Everyone is disgusted by a man

Who offends one and all with meaningless chatter.

Verse 192

Uttering useless words to crowds is worseThan committing unkindnesses toward companions.

Verse 193

A long and pointless discourse itself declares

To all the speaker's lack of worth.

Verse 194

Worthless words are doubly unprofitable: the listeners'

Enjoyment is lost, and the speaker's own virtues vanish.

Verse 195

Prestige and popularity flee the best of men

The moment they speak inane and useless words.

Verse 196

Do not call him a man who enjoys displaying

His own empty words. Call him rather the chaff of men.

Verse 197

Let the wise, if they deem it necessary, speak even unpleasant words,

But it is good if they always refrain from pointless speech.

Verse 198

In search of extraordinary gains, the wise

Will never speak trivial or ungainful words.

Verse 199

The wise, faultless and free from ignorance,

Never utter pointless words, even forgetfully.

Verse 200

In your speaking, say only that which is purposeful.Never utter words which lack purpose.

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Dread of Sinful Deeds

Verse 201

Wicked men do not fear, but worthy men dread,

The arrogance of sinful deeds.

Verse 202

From evil springs forth more evil.Therefore, evil is to be feared even more than fire.

Verse 203

To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies,

Is said to be supreme wisdom.

Verse 204

Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember

That virtue itself devises a plotter's downfall.

Verse 205

Do not commit wrongful deeds, claiming to be poor.

For such deeds only cause one to be poorer still.

Verse 206

Let him who wishes to be free from afflictions' pain

Avoid inflicting harm on others.

Verse 207

One can escape from hate-filled enemies,But one's own hateful acts will relentlessly pursue and destroy him.

Verse 208

As a man's shadow follows his footsteps wherever he goes,

Even so will destruction pursue those who commit sinful deeds.

Verse 209

If a man feels fond affection for himself,

Let him not indulge in immoral deeds, however insignificant.

Verse 210

Know that a man will be defended against destruction

If he does not deviate from Right and act iniquitously.

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Understanding One's Duty to Society

Verse 211

The benevolent expect no return for their dutiful giving.

How can the world ever repay the rain cloud?

Verse 212

It is to meet the needs of the deservingThat the worthy labor arduously to acquire wealth.

Verse 213

Of all duties, benevolence is unequaled in this world,

And even in celestial realms.

Verse 214

He who understands his duty to society truly lives.

All others shall be counted among the dead.

Verse 215

The wealth of the world-loving wise man

May be likened to a well-stocked village water tank.

Verse 216

Riches retained by generous men

Resemble a fruit tree ripening in the heart of a village.

Verse 217

In the hands of a benevolent man,Wealth is like a medicinal tree whose healing gifts help all.

Verse 218

Those who deeply know duty do not neglect giving,

Even in their own unprosperous season.

Verse 219

The benevolent man considers himself poor only

When he is unable to render his accustomed service to humanity.

Verse 220

Were it said that loss of wealth is the price of benevolence,

Such loss is worth selling one's self to procure.

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Charity

Verse 221

Giving to the poor is true charity.

All other giving expects a recompense.

Verse 222

Though men may declare it a good path, gathering gifts is bad.Though they decree it denies one heaven, giving gifts is good.

Verse 223

Men of good birth graciously give,

Never uttering the wretched excuse, "I have nothing."

Verse 224

How unpleasant a beggar's pleading can become,

Until one sees his face, so sweetly pleased.Verse 225

Great indeed is the power acquired through austerity to endure hunger.But greater still is the power of those who relieve the hunger of others.

Verse 226

Relieving the ravaging hunger of the poor

Is the most secure use of a rich man's wealth.

Verse 227

The fiery scourge called hunger never touches

The man who shares his daily meal with others.

Verse 228

Is it because they are unaware of the joys of giving

That hard-hearted men waste their wealth by hoarding it?

Verse 229

More bitter than even a beggar's bread is the

Meal of the miser who hoards wealth and eats alone.

Verse 230

There is nothing more bitter than death;

Yet even death is sweet when charitable giving is impossible.

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Glory

Verse 231

Give to the poor, and life will be richly graced.

There is no greater profit for a man than this.

Verse 232

All who speak will proclaim abiding praiseFor those who give alms to the poor.

Verse 233

Except for exalted glory which endures forever,

Everything on earth perishes.

Verse 234

So great is glory gained by men in this world

That celestials cease praising ascended sages.

Verse 235

The loss that is gain and the death that is life of immortal glory

Are attained only by the wise.

Verse 236

If you are born, be born for glory,

For those born without it would be better off without birth.

Verse 237

Why do those whose life is devoid of renown

Blame despising rivals, when they have themselves to blame?

Verse 238

Just as it is disgraceful to bear no children,

All men on earth deem it disgraceful to not beget fame.

Verse 239

When forced to bear the body of a man without eminence,

Even faultless, fruitful lands will lessen their yields.

Verse 240

Those who live without blame truly live.Those who live without glory live not.

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Possession of CompassionVerse 241

Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth,

For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.

Verse 242

Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion. For if the

Various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.Verse 243

Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassionWill never be drawn into the dark and woeful world.

Verse 244

Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict

The compassionate who foster and protect all life.

Verse 245

This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth

That misery is not for men who keep compassion.

Verse 246

They say those who act cruelly by forsaking compassionMust have forgotten what it means to forsake morality.

Verse 247

As this world is not for the penniless,

So is that world not for the pitiless!

Verse 248

Those without wealth may one day prosper, but those withoutKindness are utterly destitute, and their fortunes never change.

Verse 249

Practicing charity without compassion is as inconceivable

As realizing Truth without clarity of mind.

Verse 250

Before advancing against men weaker than yourself,

Ponder when you stood before those more powerful.

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Abstaining from Eating Meat

Verse 251

How can he practice true compassion

Who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?

Verse 252

Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless,Nor can compassion be found in the hearts of those who eat meat.

Verse 253

Goodness is never one with the minds of these two:

One who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a creatures' flesh.Verse 254

If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkind?"

It is not killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous.

Verse 255

Life is perpetuated by not eating meat.The clenched jaws of hell hold those who do.

Verse 256

If the world did not purchase and consume meat,

There would be none to slaughter and offer meat for sale.

Verse 257

When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh

Of another creature, he must abstain from eating it.

Verse 258

Perceptive souls who have abandoned passion

Will not feed on flesh abandoned by life.

Verse 259

Greater then a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial fires

Do not do sacrifice and consume any living creature.

Verse 260

All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration

Of those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat.

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AusterityVerse 261

It is the nature of asceticism to patiently endure

Hardship and not to harm living creatures.Verse 262

Austerity belongs to the naturally austere.

Others may attempt it, but to no avail.

Verse 263

Is it because they must provide for renunciatesThat others forget to do penance?

Verse 264

Should he but wish it, an ascetics' austerities

Will ruin his foes and reward his friends.

Verse 265

In this world men do austerities assiduously,

Assured of the fulfillment of desired desires.

Verse 266

Those who perform austerities are fulfilling their destiny. All others

Are ensnared by desire and unknowingly work their own destruction.

Verse 267

As the intense fire of the furnace refines gold to brilliancy, so does

The burning suffering of austerity purify the soul to resplendence.

Verse 268

He who has realized by himself his souls' Self

Will be worshiped by all other souls.

Verse 269

So potent is the power acquired through austerity

That those who attain it may even stay the moment of death.

Verse 270

Few people perform penance, while the majority do not.

For this reason the needy multitudes suffer deprivation.

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Ascetic PretenseVerse 271

Undeceived by a deceiver's duplicity,

His own five elements silently mock him.

Verse 272

Of what avail is an outer appearance of saintliness,

If the mind suffers inwardly from knowledge of its iniquity?

Verse 273

He who has not attained the power yet wears the garb of saints

Is like a cow that grazes about wearing a tiger's skin.

Verse 274

He who conceals himself beneath saintly robes and commits sins

Is like the hunter who hides in the bushes to snare unwary birds.Verse 275

When those who claim dispassion act deceitfully,

The day will come when they exclaim,"Alas! Alas! What have I done?"

Verse 276

None is so heartless as he who, without renunciation in his heart,

Poses as a renunciate and lives fraudulently.

Verse 277

Like the poisonous jequirity seed, with its bright and black sides,

There are outwardly dazzling men whose insides are dark.

Verse 278

Many are the men who piously bath in purifying waters,

While in their dark hearts impure conduct lies concealed.

Verse 279

The arrow is straight but cruel; the lute is crooked but sweet.

Therefore, judge men by their acts, not their appearance.Verse 280

Neither shaven head nor long locks are required,

Provided one refrains from conduct condemned by the world.

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Avoidance of Fraud

Verse 281

If a man wishes not to be scorned by others,

He will secure his own mind against the merest thought of fraud.

Verse 282

The mere thought of sin is sin. Therefore,Avoid even the thought of stealing from another.

Verse 283

The fortune that is amassed by fraud may appear to prosper

But it will soon perish altogether.

Verse 284

Finding delight in defrauding others yields the fruit

Of undying suffering when those delights ripen.

Verse 285

Benevolent thoughts and affectionate feelings flee from those

Who watch for another's' unwatchfulness to swindle his property.

Verse 286

They who follow deceit's desirous path

Cannot hope to work wisdom's measured way.

Verse 287

The dark deceits of fraud cannot be found

In the hearts of those who desire the greatness called virtue.

Verse 288

As righteousness resides in the hearts of the virtuous,

So does deceit dwell in the hearts of thieves.

Verse 289

Knowing nothing but deviousness,

Men die each time they contrive their corrupt deeds.

Verse 290

Even the life in his body will abandon him who defrauds others,

But heaven itself never forsakes those who are honest.

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Truthfulness

Verse 291

What is truthfulness? It is the speaking of words

Which are entirely free from harmful effects.

Verse 292

Even falsehood is of the nature of truth,If it gives good results free from fault.

Verse 293

Let a man not speak as truth what he knows to be false,

For his conscience will scorch him when he has lied.

Verse 294

He who lives truly in his own heart,

Truly lives in the hearts of all people.

Verse 295

Those who speak only truth from the heart

Surpass even penitents and philanthropists.

Verse 296

No prestige surpasses the absence of falsehood;

All other virtues flow from it effortlessly.

Verse 297

Not lying, and merely not lying, is beneficialFor those who can't practice and won't practice other virtues.

Verse 298

Water is sufficient to cleanse the body,

But only truthfulness will purify the mind.

Verse 299

Not all lamps are effective lamps.

The lamp of nonlying is the wise man's lamp.

Verse 300

Among all great truths which we have ever beheld,

Not one can equal the goodness of veracity.

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Avoidance of Anger

Verse 301

It is restraint that restrains anger when it can injure.

If it cannot harm, what does restraint really matter?

Verse 302

Anger is wrong even when it cannot cause injury,But when it can, there is nothing more iniquitous.

Verse 303

Forget anger toward all who have offended you,

For from anger springs a multitude of wrongs.

Verse 304

The face's smile and the heart's joy are slain by anger.

Does there exist a greater enemy than one's own anger?

Verse 305

If a man would be his own guard, let him guard against anger.

Left unguarded, his own wrath will slay him.

Verse 306

Drawing near it, men are engulfed in fury's' fire,

Which burns even rescuing friends and family.

Verse 307

As a man trying to touch the ground with his hand cannot fail,

So one who treasures his temper will doubtlessly be destroyed.

Verse 308

Even when others inflict wrongs as painful as the touch of blazing

Torches, it is good if a man can refrain from anger.

Verse 309

If angry thoughts never invoke his mind,

A man's other thoughts may instantly manifest.

Verse 310

As men who have died resemble the dead,So men who have renounced anger resemble renunciates.

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Avoidance of Injuring Others

Verse 311

If hurting others would bring princely riches,

The pure in heart would still refuse.

Verse 312

It is the principle of the pure in heart never to injure others,Even when they themselves have been hatefully injured.

Verse 313

Hating others, even enemies who harmed you unprovoked,

Assures incessant sorrow.

Verse 314

If you return kindness for injuries received and forget both,

Those who harmed you will be punished by their own shame.

Verse 315

What good is a man's knowledge unless it prompts him to

Prevent the pain of others as if it were his own pain?

Verse 316

Any actions which a man knows would harm himself

He should not inflict on others.

Verse 317

The supreme principle is this: Never knowingly

Harm anyone at any time in any way

Verse 318

Why does he who knows what injury to his own life is like

Inflict injury on other living human beings?

Verse 319

If a man inflicts sorrow on another in the morning,

Sorrow will come to him unbidden in the afternoon.

Verse 320

All suffering recoils on the wrongdoer himself. Therefore, those who

Desire not to suffer refrain from causing others pain.

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Avoidance of Killing

Verse 321

What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life,

For killing leads to every other sin.

Verse 322

Of all the virtues summed by ancient sages the foremost are these:To partake of food one has shared and to protect all living creatures.

Verse 323

Not killing is the first and foremost good.

The virtue of not lying comes next.Verse 324

What is the good way? It is the path that reflects on

How it may avoid killing any living creature.

Verse 325

Among all who disown the world out of dismay, the foremost areThey who, dismayed with death-dealing, embrace non-killing.

Verse 326

Life-devouring death will not assail the living days

Of one whose code of conduct is to never kill.

Verse 327

Refrain from taking precious life from any living being,

Even to save your own life.

Verse 328

By sacrifice of life some gain great wealth and good,

But sagacious men scorn such gains.

Verse 329

Those whose trade is killing creatures are deemed defiled

By men who know the defiling nature of being mean.

Verse 330

They say the beggar who suffers a sore ridden body and deprived life

Once deprived another's body of life

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Impermanence of All Things

Verse 331

There is no baser folly than the infatuation

That looks upon the transient as if it were everlasting.

Verse 332

Amassing great wealth is gradual, like the gathering of a theaterCrowd. Its dispersal is sudden, like that same crowd departing.

Verse 333

Wealth's nature is to be unenduring.

Upon acquiring it, do that which is enduring right away.

Verse 334

Though it seems a harmless gauge of time, a day,

To those who fathom its form, is a saw steadily cutting the tree of life.

Verse 335

Do good deeds with urgency,

Before death's approaching rattle strangles the tongue.

Verse 336

What wondrous greatness this world possesses -

That yesterday a man was, and today he is not.

Verse 337

Man does not know if he will live another moment,

Yet his thoughts are ten million and more.

Verse 338

The soul's attachment to the body resembles a fledgling

Which forsakes its empty shell and flies away.

Verse 339

Death is like falling asleep,

And birth is like waking from that sleep.

Verse 340

Not yet having a permanent home,

The soul takes temporary shelter in the body.

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Renunciation

Verse 341

Whatsoever a man has renounced,

From the sorrow born of that he has freed himself.

Verse 342

After a man has renounced, he enjoys the many true things in thisWorld. Let men desiring that renounce in time.

Verse 343

The five senses must be subdued

And every desire simultaneously surrendered.

Verse 344

The mendicant's poverty permits not a single possession,

For possessions draws him back into delusion.Verse 345

What are life's petty attachments to the man who seeks severanceFrom future births, when even his body is a burden?

Verse 346

He who slays the conceit which clamors "I" and "mine"

Will enter a realm above the celestials' world.

Verse 347

If one clings to his attachments, refusing to let go,

Sorrows will not let go their grip on him.

Verse 348

Those who renounce totally reach the highest peak;

The rest remain ensnared in delusions net.

Verse 349

Birth ceases when all attachments are severed;

Otherwise, one beholds unceasingly the transitoriness of life.

Verse 350

Attach yourself to Him who is free from all attachments.

Bind yourself to that bond in order that all other bonds may be broken.

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Knowledge of Truth

Verse 351

The delusion which mistakes the unreal for the Real

Is the genesis of woeful births.

Verse 352

For those of undimmed perception, free from delusion,Darkness departs and rapture rushes in.

Verse 353

To those who have dispelled all doubt and perceive Truth,

Heaven is nearer than earth.

Verse 354

All knowledge acquired through the five senses is worthless

To those without knowledge of truth.

Verse 355

In everything of every kind whatsoever,

Wisdom perceives Truth in that thing.

Verse 356

Those who find Divine Truth in this world

Follow a path which never comes back to this world.

Verse 357

Those who think with certitude and ponder well that which is,

Need never think of being born again.

Verse 358

Banishing the folly of rebirth and thus beholding

Perfections True Being - that is wisdom.

Verse 359

The ruinous griefs that he is yet to suffer will not cleave to him who,

Renouncing other supports, realizes life's true Support.

Verse 360

Desire, detesting and delusion - the annihilation of these three names

Is the annihilation of suffering endured.

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Eradication of Desire

Verse 361

At all times and to all creatures

The seed of ceaseless births is desire.

Verse 362

If you must desire, desire freedom from birth.That will only come by desiring desirelessness.

Verse 363

Here no fortune is as dear as desirelessness;

And even there nothing like it can be found.

Verse 364

Purity is but freedom from desire,

And that is achieved by desiring to know Truth.

Verse 365

They say only those who have renounced desire are renunciates.

Others do not share the same attainment

Verse 366

As it is desire, above all else, which deceives a man,

Ascetics dread it judiciously.

Verse 367

When a renunciate ceases the deeds of desire,

Deliverance from life and death will come when he desires.

Verse 368

He who has no desires has no sorrow, but where there is desire

There will be ever-increasing sorrows.

Verse 369

When desire, sorrow's sorrow, dies away,

Undying bliss prevails even here on earth.

Verse 370

It is the nature of desire never to be fulfilled, but he who utterlyGives it up realizes eternal fulfillment at that very moment.

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Destiny

Verse 371

Industriousness comes to men whom Fortune favors,

But laziness approaches those whom Misfortune has chosen.

Verse 372

That destiny which decreases prosperity, increases ignorance.That destiny which diminishes loss, expands knowledge.

Verse 373

However subtle the texts studied,

The native knowing destined one prevails.

Verse 374

Two natural ways are ordained in this world.

Acquiring wealth is one. Attaining wisdom is quite another.Verse 375

When fate is against a man, his assured success in gathering wealth willFail; and when fate is with him, even certain failure will succeed.

Verse 376

Though you guard it well, what destiny does not decree disappears.

Though you cast it aside, what fate calls yours will not depart.Verse 377

A man may amass millions, but its enjoyment,

Will never exceed the allotment allotted by him.

Verse 378

The destitute are almost ascetics and would renounce if only

Approaching fate, carrying experiences yet to be, would pass them by.

Verse 379

Why should those who rejoice when Destiny brings good

Moan when that same Destiny decrees misfortune?

Verse 380

What is there that is mightier than Destiny?For it is there ahead of us even in the plans we devise to overcome it.

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The Merits of the King

Verse 381

He is lion among kings who is well-endowed with these six possessions:

Army, citizens, wealth, ministers, allies and fortresses.

Verse 382

Four are the characteristics which a king cannot lack:Fearlessness, generosity, wisdom and industriousness.

Verse 383

In those who rule the land these three must never lapse:

Vigilance, valiance and virtuous learning.

Verse 384

He is a true king who, unswerving in virtue,

Restrains wrongdoing, and, steadfast in courage, maintains his honor.Verse 385

A king is he who can amass a treasury of wealth,Store it, guard it and expend it wisely.

Verse 386

All peoples praise that nation whose sovereign

Is always accessible and never speaks severely.

Verse 387

Behold the King who speaks sweetly, gives generously and

Protects powerfully - the world, esteems his word its command.

Verse 388

Ruling righteously himself and safeguarding subjects from others,

A monarch may be deemed divine by his people.

Verse 389

The world abides protected beneath the umbrella

Of a virtuous king who can abide words bitter to the ear.

Verse 390

He is a light ruler who is endowed with the four merits

Of generosity, graciousness, justice and care for the people.

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48

Learning

Verse 391

Learn perfectly all that you learn, and

Thereafter keep your conduct worthy of that learning.

Verse 392

Two are the eyes of those who truly live-One is called numbers and the other letters.

Verse 393

The learned have eyes that see, they say.

The unlearned have but two sores on their face.Verse 394

It is the learned mans prowess that meetings

Bring delight and departures leave pleasant thoughts.

Verse 395

Amidst the learned be humble, as those possessing nothing are beforeThe prosperous. Those who fail thus to learn are the lowest of men.

Verse 396

The deeper a sand-well is dug the freer is its flow of water.

Even so, the deeper a man's learning the greater is his wisdom.

Verse 397

When every country our village could be his own,

How can a man dwell unlearned to his death?

Verse 398

Learning a man secures in one birth

Will secure his well-being in seven.

Verse 399

When the learned see that the learning that delights them

Delights the world as well, they love learning even more.

Verse 400

A man's learning is an imperishable and precious wealth.

All other possessions are less golden.

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49

The Neglect of Learning

Verse 401

Speaking to a learned gathering without full knowledge,

Is like playing a dice game without the board.

Verse 402

An unlearned man desiring to be eloquent,Is like a breastless women longing to be feminine.

Verse 403

Even the ignorant will be deemed wise

If they refrain from speaking in the presence of the learned.

Verse 404

However excellent an unlearned man's knowledge may be,

Knowledgeable men will never take it.

Verse 405

An unlearned man's self-conceit will shrivel

The moment he speaks to an assembly.

Verse 406

Like unproductive barren land is the man who has neglected learning.

All that can be said about him is that he exists.

Verse 407

The goodness and beauty of him whose knowledge

Is neither subtle nor penetrating are like that of a painted clay doll.

Verse 408

Even more wretched than a learned man's poverty

Is the unlearned man's wealth.

Verse 409

Though humbly born, a learned man's nobility

Transcends that of the unlearned noble man.

Verse 410

As men are to feral beasts, so are the luminaries

Of knowledge compared to unlearned men.

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50

Listening to the Learned

Verse 411

The most precious wealth is the wealth acquired by the ear

Indeed, of all wealth that wealth is the crown.

Verse 412

Only when no nourishment exists for the earIs it time to offer the stomach a morsel.

Verse 413

There are men who find listening a feast for there ears.

On earth they resemble deities who feast from sacrificial fires.

Verse 414

Even though he has no learning, if a man but listens to the learned

That will be his staff of strength in adversity.

Verse 415

Words from the lips of upright men

Are like a steadying staff in a slippery place.

Verse 416

However little, let a man do good things

Even that little will enhance his greatness.

Verse 417

Those who have studied deeply and listened diligently will never speak

Foolish words, even when they have wrongly understood a matter.Verse 418

Ears may hear and yet remain deafIf not pierced by sharp listening.

Verse 419

For a man to speak with humility is indeed rare,

Unless he has listened to learning's subtlety.

Verse 420

There are men whose tongues can taste but whose ears never savor.

What does it matter that they live or die.

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51

Possession of Wisdom

Verse 421

Wisdom is a weapon with which a man may ward off destruction;

It is an inner fortress which no enemy can assail.

Verse 422

Wisdom will harness the mind, diverting itFrom wrong and directing it toward right.

Verse 423

In whatever matter and from whomever heard,

Wisdom will witness its true meaning.

Verse 424

Wisdom speaks well, conveying each meaning clearly,

And listens for the subtlest sense in others' speech.

Verse 425

Men of wisdom befriend the wise and keep that friendship constant,

Not opening and closing like the petaled lotus.

Verse 426

It is wisdom to live in the world

As the world lives.

Verse 427

Those who know, know what it is to be.

The unknowing know this not.

Verse 428

It is folly not to fear what ought to be feared.

Therefore, the wise dread what ought to be dreaded.

Verse 429

Fearsome sufferings shall never happen

To the wise who guard against future happenings.

Verse 430

Those who possess wisdom possess everything.

Whatever others possess, without wisdom they have nothing.

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Guarding Against Faults

Verse 431

Those who are free from arrogance, anger, and lust

Will prosper in great dignity.

Verse 432

Avarice, arrogance and crude amusements are flawsIn the characters of an unfit king.

Verse 433

Though their fault is as small as a millet seed,

To those who dread disgrace it will appear as large as a palm tree.Verse 434

His own faults are a man's mortal enemies.

Therefore, to guard against them is life's gravest concern.

Verse 435

The fortune of a man who does not guard against failings before theyManifest will perish like a stack of straw before a flaming fire.

Verse 436

What fault exists in a king who eradicates his own faults

Before examining the faults in others?

Verse 437

The wealth of one who, out of avarice, fails to do what should be done

Will vanish without the slightest vestige.

Verse 438

When faults are reckoned, one remains apart -

The greedy grasping known as avariciousness.

Verse 439

Never indulge in admiring yourself.

Never desire deeds that do not benefit others.

Verse 440

Delighting in life's pleasures privately

Nullifies the conspiring schemes of foes.

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Gaining Support from the Great

Verse 441

Those who ponder the value of friends whose wisdom and goodness

Are mature, will plan the means, then acquire such friendships.

Verse 442

There are men who allay today's trials and avert tomorrow's troubles.Befriend and look after them.

Verse 443

To cherish and befriend men of greatness

Is the rarest of all rare things.Verse 444

To live among advising friends who are greater than himself

Is foremost among a man's strength.Verse 445

Knowing that ministers function as a monarch's eyes,

A king looks at ministers meticulously before engaging them.

Verse 446

A man's foes are rendered ineffective

If he can live in fellowship among the worthy.

Verse 447

Who can destroy the man who has the friendship

Of helpful advisors who will not hesitate to admonish him?

Verse 448

With no one to reprove and thus protect him,

A king will be destroyed, though no one seeks his destruction.

Verse 449

Profit is not for those who have no capital, nor is stability

For those who lack the support of faithful friends.

Verse 450

It is harmful to make a multitude of foes, but it is ten times worseTo give up the friendship of the worthy.

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54

Avoidance of Base Company

Verse 451

Men of greatness dread base company,

But the low-minded consider them kinsmen.

Verse 452

As water changes according to the soil through which it flows,So does a man assimilate the character of his associates.

Verse 453

By knowing his thoughts, a man's mind is discovered.

By knowing his associates, his character is revealed.

Verse 454

Wisdom, appearing to originate in a man's mind,

Has its source in his companions.

Verse 455

Purity of mind and purity of conduct - these two

Depend upon the purity of a man's companions.

Verse 456

Good progeny comes to a pure-minded men.

Their pure companions keep pure deeds away.

Verse 457

Wealth will be given to good-minded men,

And all glory granted by good company.

Verse 458

Even perfect men, possessing the mind's full goodness,

Are fortified by good fellowship.

Verse 459

Goodness of mind leads to bliss in the next world,

And even this is secured by the company of good men.

Verse 460

There exists no greater aid than good fellowship,And no greater affliction than evil fraternity.

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Deliberation Before Action

Verse 461

Before undertaking a project, ponder what will be gained,

Lost and ultimately achieved.

Verse 462

There is nothing too difficult for a man who, before he acts,Deliberates with chosen friends and reflects privately.

Verse 463

The wise never undertake an enterprise

Which rashly risks existing capitol to reach for potential profits.

Verse 464

Those who dread derision and disgrace

Will not commence a task that is unclear.

Verse 465

To strike out without a well-pondered plan

Is one way to cultivate an enemies' strength.

Verse 466

To do that which ought not to be done will bring ruin,

And not to do that which ought to be done will also bring ruin.

Verse 467

Embark upon an action after careful thought. It is folly to say,

"Let us begin the task now and think about it later."

Verse 468

Unless painstakingly performed, a task will not succeed

Even if men in multitudes support it.

Verse 469

Even in the performance of good deeds a man may error,

If he does not consider the recipient's unique nature.

Verse 470

Having reflected, let a man's actions lie above blame.

The world will never approve of acts which lie beneath him.

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Understanding Strength

Verse 471

The prudent act after weighing the strength a deed demands,

One's own strength and the strengths of allies and opposition.

Verse 472

Nothing is impossible for those who perceive the nature and the meansOf their task and proceed with determination.

Verse 473

Ignorant of their strengths, many plunge zealously

Into projects, only to miscarry midway.

Verse 474

How swiftly men perish who praise themselves, unappraised of

Their real measure and unable to live peacefully with others.Verse 475

Load too many of them and even peacock feathersWould break the cart's axle.

Verse 476

He who has climbed out to the tip of a tree branch

And attempts to climb further will forfeit his life.

Verse 477

Know the measure of your capacity to give, then give accordingly -

Such clarity is the way wealth is preserved.

Verse 478

A small income is no cause for failure,

Provided expenditures do not exceed it.

Verse 479

The wealth of a man who lives unaware of his own measure,

Appears to exist, then disappears without a trace.

Verse 480

Unless weighed with prudence, a philanthropist's wealth

Will promptly perish, measure by measure.

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57

Understanding Timeliness

Verse 481

A crow can overcome a powerful owl in the daytime.

A king desiring to defeat his enemy must pick the proper time.

Verse 482

A man may firmly bind himself to prosperityBy the cord called timely action.

Verse 483

Is there any task too difficult for the man who acts

At the right time and employs the proper means?

Verse 484

One may aim to acquire the whole world and succeed,

If actions are aimed at the right time and place.

Verse 485

Those who aim to own the world

Must wait, unruffled, for the fitting hour.

Verse 486

The patient restraint of the powerful man is like the drawing back

Of the fighting ram before it smites the stunning blow.

Verse 487

When angered, men of understanding never show it outwardly then and

There. Holding it inside, they watch for an opportune moment.

Verse 488

Bow humbly when greeting an enemy.

His own head will bow humiliated when in time he greets defeat.

Verse 489

When a rare opportunity comes, do not hesitate,

But swiftly accomplish tasks that are otherwise impossible.

Verse 490

There are times to stay still as a stalking heron.There are times to move swiftly as a heron's strike.

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Understanding the Right Place

Verse 491

Neither deride the opposition nor initiate a campaign

Until you possess the strategic place from which to strike.

Verse 492

In battle a fortified place yields numerous advantages,Even to those possessing power and prowess.

Verse 493

Even the weak may powerfully prevail if they choose the right

Field of action, establish good defenses and then fight well.

Verse 494

When an attacker attacks from a strategic location

His enemies' thoughts of conquest become unthinkable.

Verse 495

In the river's depths the crocodile is unconquerable,

But others may defeat it if it departs those waters.

Verse 496

The massive chariot with mighty wheels cannot sail the sea,

Nor can the ocean-going ship travel the land.

Verse 497

Fearlessness is the only friend one needs,

If ceaselessly he ponders from which place to pounce.

Verse 498

If a large army assails a well-entrenched small army,

Its power will be repelled and it will retreat.

Verse 499

Even if they have neither potent resources nor strong fortresses,

It is difficult to conquer a people on their own soil.

Verse 500

The fearless elephant may slaughter a multitude of warriors

Yet be slain by a single jackal if his legs sink in muddy marsh.

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59

Testing and Trusting Men

Verse 501

A man should be chosen after passing the four-fold test

Of virtue, wealth, pleasure and fear of death.Verse 502

Place trust in a man of good family, free from faults

Of a modest nature that dreads reproach.

Verse 503

Even faultless and deeply learned men, when closely examined,Are rarely found to be entirely free from ignorance.

Verse 504

Weigh a man's merits and weigh his faults

Then judge him according to the greater.

Verse 505

The touchstone which discloses a man's greatness

Or smallness is simply this - his deeds.

Verse 506

Beware of trusting men who have no kin,

Being attached to people, they are unashamed of peccancy.

Verse 507

When one employs a know-nothing out of affection,

He engages all kinds of foolishness.

Verse 508

To trust a stranger without investigation

Invite troubles so endless even descendants must endure.Verse 509

Lacking investigation, lend your trust to no one. Having investigated

Entrust a man with matters for which he has proven trustworthy.

Verse 510

To trust a man who has not been tested and to suspect a man

Who has proven trustworthy lead to endless ills.

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60

Testing and Employing Men

Verse 511

Employ those men who discern the good and the bad effects

In every undertaking and choose the good.

Verse 512

Let him do the work who can supplement revenues,Spread prosperity and search out problems.

Verse 513

Let him alone be trusted who fully possesses these four:

Kindness, intelligence, assurance and freedom from greed.

Verse 514

Though tested fully under simulated conditions,

Many men function differently under working conditions.

Verse 515

Work should be entrusted to men on the basis of their knowledge

And diligence and not merely on the bonds of affection.

Verse 516

Consider the work, choose the workman,

Conceive the timing with care, then commence.

Verse 517

Having decided, "This man is qualified to do this work in this way,"

Entrust him to his task.

Verse 518

After ascertaining what work befits a man,

Assign him to a fitting task.

Verse 519

Wealth withdraws from the man who won't understandThe natural friendliness his workers wish to share with him.

Verse 520

Let the king scrutinize his staff's conduct daily.

If they do not go astray, the world will not go astray.

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Fellowship of Kindred

Verse 521

When a man's wealth has disappeared, his kinsmen alone

Will maintain their customary kindness.

Verse 522

If a man's kindred cleave to him with unfailing love,His fortunes will never fail to flourish.

Verse 523

Pursuing a happy life without mixing with kinsmen

Is like pouring water into a barrel which has no staves.

Verse 524

The real profit gained by giving riches

Is as one may then live surrounded by kindred.

Verse 525

Multitudes of kinsmen will gather around the man

Who gives generously and speaks sweetly.

Verse 526

In this wide world none enjoys a more faithful family

Than he who hands out large gifts and holds back anger.

Verse 527

The crow does not conceal its food but calls its kind to share it;

Prosperity will abide with men of such a nature.

Verse 528

The multitudes thrive when they perceive their monarch

Perceiving each one's merits, not seeing mere sameness in all.

Verse 529

Close kinsmen who have become estranged

Will come back when the cause of disagreement goes away.

Verse 530

When one who left him returns with good reason,

The king may, after careful reflection, receive him back.

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62

Avoidance of Unmindfulness

Verse 531

Excessive anger is a great harm, but greater still is

The unmindfulness born of excessive pleasure.

Verse 532

Just as perpetual poverty slowly slays one's knowledge,So does frequent forgetfulness destroy one's prestige.

Verse 533

Unmindful men will never know renown.

This is the verdict of every virtuous text in the world.

Ve